Snow-scraper



(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet G. A. BIRCH.

SNOW SGRAPER.

No. 360,196. W atented Mar. 29, 1887.

Unrrn STATES ATENT rrrcn.

GEORGE A. BIRCH, OF EAST GREENB'USH, NEW YORK.

SNOW-SCRAPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 360,196, dated March 29, 1887.

Application filed December 29, 1886.

.T 0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. Brncn, of East Greenbnsh, in the county of Bensselaer and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Snow-Scrapers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my scraper with the drivers seat removed; Fig. 2, a perspective view of the scraper with part of the sliding bar broken away to show'underlying parts; Fig. 3, a longitudinal section, and Fig. 4 a front elevation.

My invention relates to improvements in that class of snow-scrapers which is used for cleaning snow from a field of ice preparatory to cutting, harvesting, and storing the latter, and for transporting the snow gathered thereby away from the field to a place where it (the snow) will not impede the subsequent operations of harvesting the ice; and the object of my improvements is to provide an effective and enduring machine for the purpose above set forth.

As represented in the drawings, A represents the runners on which the scraper is moved from place to place. Said runners are connected together by the cross-ties a to form a substantial sleigh or frame-work, upon which all the parts are borne.

B is the scraper or face -board, having its lower edge beveled on its rearmost side, so as to form a sharp scraping-edge at its foremost side, which is provided with a metallic strip or shoe, I). Said face board is loosely fitted between the runners A, and is journaled to the latter by the trunnions b, which are preferably made with an offset extending from the front of said face-board, whereby when the face-board is tilted back-as when engaged in transporting the snow it has scraped from the ice-the scraping-edge of the face-board will be raised up, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3, to keep it away from the ice or any slight obstruction. A guard, b consisting of a strip fixed at right angles to the front of the faceboard B, is secured to the upper edge of the latter for the purpose of preventing the snow,

Serial No. 222,903. (No model.)

when it is passing up the front of the faceboard, from going over the upper edge, and so back again to the ice from which it has been removed.

The face-board B is connected by means of rods 0 to the cranks (l of a transverse shaft, D, that isjonrnaled on a sliding cross-bar, E. The rods 0 are pivoted, as at c, to the faceboard B, and the opposite end of said rods is provided with a series of holes, which fit the wrist-pins of the cranks d, so that said rods can be either lengthened or shortened, as oocasion requires, to change the angle of the face-board to suit the requirements of the work. The shaft D is provided with an arm, cl, by which it can be rocked in its bearings, and an operating-rod, d", which is connected to said arm, extends rearwardly within reach of the driver, so that the latter can rock the shaft D when occasion requires.

\Vhile the scraper is performing its work of scraping the rods 0 and cranks (Z are kept ranged in line, as shown in the drawings, so as to hold the serapingedge of the face-board B down to its work; but when said face-board has accumulated a sufficicnt load of snow thereon the shaft D is rocked to throw the cranks cl in a reversed direction, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3. The face-board B will thereby be tilted back and its scraping-edge raised clear from the surface of the ice, as hereinbefore set forth.

The cross-bar E is fitted to slide on top of the runners A, which have loops a" secured to them to retain said cross-bar thereon. The said loops are made long enough to permit the said cross-bar to slide a sufficient distance to ward the front end of the runners A to effect the overturning of the face-board B on its trunnions in dumping its lead of snow therefrom. Said crossbar is provided with rollers e, fitted on a pendent stud and arranged to bear against the inner sides of said runners, so as to keep the crossbar from moving endw1se.

The pole F, to which the animals for drawing the scraper are attached, is connected to the cross-bar E, so that all the power applied to the scraper will be borne by and transmitted through said cross-bar. Levers G, pivoted to the runners A, are provided with catchshoulders g, which engage with the'forward side of the sliding bar E to retain the latter at the rearmost extremity of its movement, where it will hold the face-board B in its angular position.- Said levers are connected together at their after ends by a crossbar, 9, so that both levers will have a simultaneous movement. Springs H are fixed under the levers G to hold them in their raised position.

A drivers seat, I, may be attached to the rearmost cross-tie a; or a platform for the driver to stand on maybe fixed to the same place, so that the driver who operates the scraper will be in easy reach of the operating rod (1 and cross-bar g. l

The operation of my scraper is as follows: The scraper being on the ice-field,with the animals hitched thereto and with the scrapingedge of the face-board down into the snow, then as the animals draw the scraper forward the snow thereby scraped from t-heice will pass up onto the faceboard until a sufficient load has been accumulated thereon. The driver, by means of the operating-rod (P, then rocks the shaft D to force the face-board B to tilt backward and raise up its scraping-edge from the ice. In this condition (with the snow on the face-board B) the load borne on the runners A is carried off to the dumping-ground, and on arrivingthere, but without stopping, the driver moves the levers G to release the shoulders g from their hold on the cross-bar E, which, being now free to move independently of the runners A, is then drawn forward by the animals until the face-board is completely overturned to leave its load deposited on the dumping ground, from which the scraper, with its face-board still overturned, is drawn until it reaches any convenient point.

Then, while pressure is applied near the lower edge of the face-board, the animals are backed up to force the crossbar E rearwardly until it has passed and been re-engaged by the shoulders g. In accomplishing this rearward movement the said cross-bar will cause the faceboard B to again tilt backward into the position it was in when starting with its load of snow. On arriving at the place where the work of scraping is to'recommenoe, the driver rocks the shaft D, thereby tilting the face-board forward to depress its scraping-edge, and thus restores the scraper to its condition for scraplng. v

I claim as my invention 1. In a snow-scraper, the combination,with a sleigh or runners provided with lockinglevers adapted to engage with and secure asliding cross-bar to which the animal-power is connected, of a face-board or scraper loosely fitted to tilt on offset trunnions between said run-' ners, the said face-board being connected to a cranked rock-shaft journaled on said sliding cross-bar, the said. crank-shaft being adapted GEORGE A. BIRCH.

Witnesses:

WM. H. Low, S. B. BREWER. 

